THE sky's the limit for Rochdale on Saturday, and for a team of skydivers.

For they will be dropping in at Spotland at 2 45pm to make sure Dale's 2002/03 season kicks off in style. And Dale hope it will be the perfect curtain-raiser to the perfect season.

Leyton Orient travel to Spotland tomorrow for the opener to the new campaign. The O's struggled last season, finishing in 18th place, but Paul Simpson knows they will still pose a tough challenge as both sides seek to start on winning ways.

"We've had them watched in two of their pre-season friendlies and they have a couple of quality players," the Dale manager said. "We're hopefully aware of what their strengths and weaknesses are, although like us they chopped and changed their side in the games. But we know about their main players and what they can do.

"They've got some big players and they have very good delivery coming in from set pieces. But if we do our jobs right, hopefully that shouldn't be a problem."

He added: "Everyone's fit - Chris Beech has trained this week and Lee Duffy's recovered from his knock on Monday. So I've got a fully fit squad to choose from. I told the players on Thursday what the team will be, so hopefully everyone will come through between now and three o'clock on Saturday.

"Those who weren't selected were disappointed, but that was something I was expecting and something I've had to deal with. I would have been disappointed if they had taken it well. But hopefully their attitudes will be right and they will take it the right way for when they get the chance to prove me wrong."

Simpson would not reveal his starting 11 but admitted: "I hope to be playing."